Again in September, the S&P500 was essentially flat for the month. Year to date was +6.08% and trailing twelve months was +12.93%. Oil continues to trade in the high $40’s/bbl, while gold is once again in the low $1,300’s/oz.

Markets were essentially flat for the month with a year to date return of 6.21% on the S&P 500. For the last 12 months, the market was up a little over 10% at 10.08%. The yield on the ten year US Treasury was 1.58%, down a full 69 basis points for the trailing 12 months.[…]

In July, markets again had outstanding performance. For the month the S&P500 Index was up +3.56%, YTD was up +6.34%, and TTM registered +3.32%. YTD sector leaders include Telecom, Utilities, and Energy. The 10 Year Treasury yield for the month was down 1 basis point to 1.50%. Download the PDF for the full review.

Markets across the board had great returns for the month of March 2016. The S&P 500 was up +5.73%, the Dow +6.28%, and the NASDAQ +6.09. The energy sector was the clear winner for March and pharmaceuticals largely were the worst performers. The 10 year Treasury was flat for the month, up 3bps to yield[…]

As we rang in the New Year, the three C’s – China, Commodities and Central Banks, continued to dominate the news wires and fueled volatility in equity markets. 2016 started off on a sour note as investors poured out of risky assets, oil plummeted, the Bank of Japan implemented negative interest rates on excess reserves[…]

So much for the calendar year or election cycle prognostications. The past year was supposed to be a good one as years ending in “5” have nearly all been good and the third year in a presidential term has historically been the strongest. 2015 was anything but, as investors focused on plunging energy prices, the[…]

The markets continue to be volatile for the year and performance remains negative. The S&P 500 Index is down -5.47% for the two months. At month-end, the 10 Year Treasury was yielding 1.73%. Check out the PDF for the balance of February’s market summary.

What the market gave in October it took away in November. The S&P 500 index was down slightly for the month, registering a return of negative -.48%. For the year, the S&P 500 is up a meager +1.04%, but positive nonetheless. We’ve said all along that if the markets can be no worse that flat[…]

The markets were up substantially during October as the S&P 500 registered a gain of +8.30%. This managed to push the year-to-date return slightly positive at +.99%. Trailing 12 gains were a less than respectable +3.04%. Check the PDF for all the details.

It finally happened. After nearly four years, stocks suffered a correction in late August. Sure, it hurts to lose money, just like it always does. But I’m a numbers guy, so I find it helpful to review the historical record for the frequency and severity of such events, and more importantly, what to expect on[…]